


Where to Start

by miss_tatiana



Category: Irish Mythology, Táin Bó Cúailnge
Genre: Flirting, M/M, Pre-Relationship, fluff!, the boys r just getting to know each other on the isle of skye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 09:50:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13315629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_tatiana/pseuds/miss_tatiana
Summary: “I want to get to know you,” Cu blurted out. “Who are you?”Ferdiad skewed his jaw, like he was thinking about something he didn’t want to be thinking about.-everyone writes ferdiad as sort of really into cu and i know that he is but i just wanted to write it the other way?? like cu has a Big crush on ferdiad and isn't sure how to go about addressing it so he's just nervous and apologetic





	Where to Start

**Author's Note:**

> i apologize for contractions and other speech things that aren't realistic to the era im sorry

“You’re talented,” Cu said, after a week of sparring with the boy under Scathach’s critical eye. They hadn’t spoken beyond introductions and pleasantries, and Cu had already forgotten the introductions. He looked at the boy, about his age and about half his breadth, and couldn’t put a name to the face. The face that was glowering at him now. “You’re a good fighter.” 

“Not as good as you,” the boy replied evenly, and he squared his jaw and started taking off his armor. The day was almost at a close, and they had been training since the sun rose. 

Cu felt bad about that, and knew that it wasn’t entirely true. They were evenly matched, as far as he could tell. “I doubt it. I’d bet that if we fought right now-” He pointed at the ground beneath their feet. “-you’d beat me.”

The boy laughed shortly, no humor behind it. “We could go at it for days, and no, I wouldn’t.” He was glaring at the ground now.

“Do you have something to say? We’re going to be here a while, and I’m not looking forward to sparking any rivalries.” Cu was sensing more than a little hostile energy. “Clear the air.”

“Well,” said the boy, pursing his lips and setting his armor down. “You think you’re the most important person on the whole island, I can tell that. That’s bad enough but what’s worse is you’re actually good enough to earn that belief, that’s just infuriating. I know you look up to Scathach but you don’t listen to anything she tells you, you keep doing it your way. And me- I’m just a sword and a shield to you, right?”

Cu crossed his arms. The words were hitting home, because they were at least partly true. He hated them. “No, not right-”

“What’s my name?” The boy narrowed his eyes. “You’re Cu Chulainn, Chulainn’s hound, you told me that the day we met, and then I told you my name. Which is?”

“I’m- I’m sorry, there was a lot on my mind…” Cu waited for the boy to interrupt him, which didn’t happen, and his words trailed off into an uncomfortable, guilt-ridden silence. “I’m sorry,” he said again. 

The boy grabbed his armor sharply, jammed it down onto the wooden form that held it. It was crooked, and he neglected to correct it. He brushed past Cu and walked out of the shack next to the training grounds. “Ferdiad,” he said, and started up the dirt path through the hills to the castle. 

“Right, Ferdiad,” Cu called after him. “I knew that.” He followed him up the path, trying to catch up. He wasn’t going to let this go and have to fight someone who wanted to hurt him every day for no one knows how long. “Wait- what can I do?”

“Give it a rest,” Ferdiad spat, halting his progress up the hill and whirling around to face Cu. “You can give this a rest, and you can think about someone who isn’t you, and you can stop pretending you don’t know how good you are, and you can tell my why you look like sunlight.”

Cu fiddled with his hands, looking down at them and then up again at Ferdiad. “Well, my father is Lugh, who was given the duties of a sun god.”

And suddenly, Ferdiad’s hands were on his knees. He was bent over, and he was laughing. He had a loud laugh. It was nice. “Of course you’d say- of course that’s what it is.” And he laughed some more. 

Cu dared to smile, although he wasn’t quite sure what was happening. “It wasn’t a joke, he is my father.”

“And that’s just the thing,” Ferdiad said, looking up. He slowly stood straight again, and sighed. “Everything you do and seem is magnificent and then the reason behind it is even more magnificent.”

“I want to get to know you,” Cu blurted out. “Who are you?”

Ferdiad skewed his jaw, like he was thinking about something he didn’t want to be thinking about. “Ferdiad,” he said carefully.

“I know, you already told me that. Is there anything else?”

“No.”

“What do I have to do?” Cu asked, feeling like he was repeating himself. “I don’t want to be strangers, we’re going to become the two best warriors in the land, and I’d much rather have you as an ally than as an enemy.”

“What makes you think you can have me at all?” Ferdiad cocked an eyebrow at him, but it was less challenging and more playful.

Cu smiled again. This was something he was sure about, he could play this game. “You’re right, I should have asked first. Pardon me. But there must be more to you than your name.”

“We’re going to be here a while,” Ferdiad said, starting up the hill again. “We’ll have time to get to know one another as regular people do- over time. I’m not going to tell you my whole story now, and I don’t want to know your whole story now. I can say that I’ll stop giving you the cold shoulder, and I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

“It’s fine, I was the problem,” replied Cu easily, but it did settle him somewhat to know that Ferdiad wasn’t angry with him anymore. He realized he was being left on the hill. “Fer- wait- where can we start? Getting to know each other. When can we start?”

Ferdiad stopped, seeming to think about it. “Where? On a hill, somewhere in the Scottish Isles would be my guess. And when? Whenever you decide to catch me up and walk me back to the castle.”

And it didn’t take Cu long to catch him up. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments/kudos appreciated!!


End file.
